Use the shutter speed to shutter angle calculator below to convert between the two, or use the reverse calculator further down to go from a shutter angle back to a shutter speed. This is most useful for videographers matching motion blur between shots, switching between cameras that report shutter the two different ways, or anyone applying the 180-degree shutter rule.
Shutter Speed to Shutter Angle Calculator
Simply select your desired FPS and shutter speed to get the shutter angle.
Shutter Angle to Shutter Speed Calculator
Select your desired FPS and shutter angle to get the shutter speed.
Why Do You Need a Shutter Angle Calculator?
Most photo and hybrid cameras report exposure as a shutter speed (1/48s, 1/50s, 1/120s, etc.). Most cinema cameras report it as a shutter angle (180°, 172.8°, 270°, etc.). The two describe the same thing from different angles, and converting between them is the main reason this calculator exists.
The other reason is the 180-degree shutter rule: at 24 fps, a 180° shutter angle produces a 1/48s exposure per frame, which is the motion-blur look people associate with cinema. But the rule only holds at 24 fps. If you crank the frame rate up to 60 fps and keep a 180° angle, your shutter speed becomes 1/120s, your motion blur drops, and the footage starts looking video-y instead of cinematic.
If you want to preserve the 1/48s motion-blur look while shooting at a higher frame rate, you have to widen the shutter angle. At 30 fps, that means a roughly 225° shutter angle. At 60 fps you would need 360° (which is the maximum and isn’t always available), so the practical move at higher frame rates is to accept slightly less motion blur or design the shot around it.
How do you Calculate Shutter Angle?
You only need two values: the frame rate (frames per second) and the shutter speed (in seconds). The formula is:
Shutter Angle = (Shutter Speed × Frame Rate) × 360°
For the canonical example, at 24 fps with a 1/48s shutter:
Shutter Angle = (1/48 × 24) × 360°
Shutter Angle = 0.5 × 360°
Shutter Angle = 180°
One practical note: most mirrorless cameras and DSLRs won’t let you dial in 1/48s exactly. Use the closest standard step, which is 1/50s. The difference in motion blur is invisible, and 1/50s is also flicker-free under 50 Hz lighting.
How The Shutter Angles Work In Cinema Cameras
Shutter angle comes from how mechanical film cameras worked: a rotating disc in front of the film had a cutout (the angle) that controlled how much of each frame interval the film was actually exposed. A 180° cutout exposed each frame for half its duration. The label stuck even though digital cinema cameras have no physical disc.
The frame rate determines the duration of each frame, and the shutter angle determines what fraction of that duration the sensor is collecting light. At 24 fps each frame lasts 1/24s. A 180° shutter angle exposes for half of that (1/48s); a 360° shutter angle exposes for the entire frame (1/24s, the longest exposure possible at that frame rate); a 90° shutter angle exposes for one quarter (1/96s).
The choice affects motion blur and exposure together. Narrower angles (under 180°) produce crisper, more staccato motion, like the famous Saving Private Ryan beach landing. Wider angles (over 180°) smear motion more and dial up the dreamy feel. 180° is the default because it matches roughly how human vision integrates motion.
Shutter Angle FAQ
What is the formula for shutter angle?
Shutter Angle = (Shutter Speed × Frame Rate) × 360°. Shutter speed is in seconds (so 1/48 not “48”) and frame rate is in frames per second. At 24 fps with a 1/48s shutter the formula gives (1/48 × 24) × 360 = 180°. To go the other direction: Shutter Speed = Shutter Angle / (Frame Rate × 360).
What is the difference between shutter angle and shutter speed?
They describe the same thing two different ways. Shutter speed is the actual exposure time (1/48s, 1/120s). Shutter angle expresses that exposure as a fraction of one frame interval (180°, 90°). Cinema cameras tend to use shutter angle because it stays consistent when you change frame rates; photo cameras use shutter speed because they don’t have a frame rate to reference.
What is the 180-degree shutter rule?
The 180-degree shutter rule says to set your shutter angle to 180° (or shutter speed to roughly double your frame rate, so 1/48s at 24 fps, 1/60s at 30 fps, 1/120s at 60 fps). The result is the motion-blur look most viewers associate with cinema. It’s the default starting point for narrative video; intentional breaks from it produce specific looks like the crispier 90° feel or the smoother 270° feel.
What is a 172.8 shutter angle?
172.8° at 24 fps gives an exact 1/50s shutter speed, which is flicker-free under 50 Hz mains-frequency lighting (the PAL standard). It’s used by filmmakers shooting at 24 fps in PAL regions, or anywhere they need to avoid the rolling banding artifacts that 50 Hz light produces when the shutter speed doesn’t divide evenly into the line frequency.
What shutter angle should I use for 60 fps or 120 fps slow motion?
For slow motion, keep the shutter angle at 180° (so 1/120s at 60 fps and 1/240s at 120 fps). That preserves natural-looking motion blur when the footage is slowed down in post. Going wider than 180° for slow motion usually produces too much blur once the clip is conformed to 24 fps playback.
What shutter angle should I use for 240 fps?
180° at 240 fps gives a 1/480s shutter speed and preserves the natural motion-blur look when the clip is slowed down in editing. Narrower angles will look crisper but more staccato; wider angles produce smear that often looks unnatural when the slow motion is played back.
Hopefully the calculator and the explainer above clear up the shutter speed vs shutter angle question. If you have additions or feedback, leave a note in the comments below.
